Breaking News: Age of Conan Delayed Eight Weeks

The current
massively multiplayer gaming market is a cutthroat place. Games need to

The current
massively multiplayer gaming market is a cutthroat place. Games need to
be polished and stable on launch, or the entire project may sink.
Unfortunately, game developers often are required to make a decision
about the overall quality of their product and whether it should be
released on a particular release date or not. It seems that the Funcom
crew has opted to give their team more time to polish the game, and the
have pushed the release date back to May 20th, 2008. Gamers will now
need to wait eight more weeks to play the game, but the final product
will almost certainly be a better, more polished version of the game.

At the moment, the Ten Ton Hammer staff is working on getting some follow-up info on this announcement and the prestige classes. Please be patient and we'll bring you the details as soon as they are made available to us.
Here's the official announcement:

Funcom sets new release date for Age of Conan

- The highly anticipated
MMO gets eight more weeks of polish -

Durham,
USA – January 21, 2008 – Funcom announces a
new release date for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. The highly anticipated MMO
receives 8 more weeks of development, allowing Funcom to deliver a more
polished MMO experience when the game launches on the 20th of May 2008.
Despite great feedback on vital aspects like immersion, fun factor and
the exciting combat system, the management of Funcom has decided to
polish the game even more. Eight weeks of development work is therefore
added to stress game systems and polish the game further leading up to
launch.

Funcom is fully
committed to its communities and the quality-level they demand and
deserve, and has previously postponed the Age of Conan launch. The changes implemented
as the game was moved to a 2008 release have proven to greatly improve
the experience for newcomers, while introducing a more involving and
accessible character progression throughout the game. Press and beta
feedback in the aftermath of these changes has been very positive. As a
result, the ongoing presentations of the game have continued to
increase the anticipation for Age of Conan. To date, Age
of Conan has received
more than 20 magazine covers and 15 industry awards, and is widely
considered to be one of the most anticipated MMOs in development.

Funcom has great faith
in the Age of Conan
game, and feels certain that further polish is in the best interest of
the hundreds of thousands of gamers who follow the game.
“The companies standing apart in the gaming market today are
those with a relentless drive to achieve quality. Even though we regret
delaying the launch, I am certain we made the right choice. I hope that
our followers and fans will support our decision, and respect our
commitment to quality,” said Gaute Godager, Producer and Game
Director of Age of Conan.

Funcom will also
continue the beta efforts for the title with continued testing on its
large server parks in North America and Europe. Players can already
sign up at pre-order programs in several countries and enjoy the
recently released website at www.ageofconan.com, displaying part of the
wealth of marketing and game material already prepared for the game. A
special Collectors Edition of the retail box is available for pre-order
at select retailers. Thousands of players have been invited to the beta
of the game, and the number will continue to go up as Age
of Conan moves towards
launch. If you too want to join the Beta of Age of Conan you may sign up for the Beta on
www.ageofconan.com.